In Memoriam
Losses in the World of Lady Wrestling 2007
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by Shiai
2007 will be remembered for many things. Most unfortunately, one of those things will be as the year in which we lost many ladies of the ring.
TRACY RICHARDS
There are only a few truly great women's tag teams, and in the 1970s, one of the very best was the
'Arm & Hammer Connection', comprised of Tracy Richards and her mentor, Beverly Shade. During her career,
Tracy was one of the strongest women in the sport, thanks to having entered wrestling following years of
power lifting. Indeed, she was credited as the first woman to make the Power Bodyslam a signature move.
SHERRI MARTEL
Perhaps the most shocking and sad demise of 2007 was the sudden death of Sherri Martel on June 15th. A
legend in her own time, Sensational Sherri wasn't just an outstanding wrestler... winning the AWA and WWF women's
titles during her nearly thirty year career... but she was undeniably a quintessential heel manager, perhaps
the best woman in the sport's history to ever play that role.
PRINCESS TONA TOMAHDreadfully, the same day that saw Martel pass away also claimed the life of a major figure of wrestling's Golden Age. Tona's career stretched from the 50s into the 70s, and she was known not only as a wrestler, but also as a boxer, and in an era when few women donned the gloves. She was so skilled at hand-to-hand combat, she helped train law enforcement officers. In her autobiography, Penny Banner describes with lasting respect a rough match she had with Tona at a reservation in Arizona. Indeed, Princess Tomah was one of the first "Indian" women in the sport, playing up her Native American heritage. NANCY BENOITWithout a doubt, the most wretchedly heartbreaking death of the year was that of Nancy, who was killed by her husband, Chris Benoit, while he was in the throes of what was alleged to be a demented psychosis brought on by either successive concussions or steroid "rage", or a combination of the two. Also murdered by Chris was their son, Daniel. Nancy began her career in wrestling long before she ever met and married Benoit, when at the age of 20 she began serving as the valet, "Fallen Angel", for Kevin Sullivan. Although ostensibly a valet/manager throughout her career (working also under the names Robin Greene and Woman), Nancy was trained well enough to occasionally step between the ropes and wrestle. She was taken from this Earth on June the 25th. LITA MAREZThe "Latin Hellcat" was a fixture on the West Coast in the 1960s and 70s, and also enjoyed great success in Japan. She was heralded as one of the best authorities on the Boston Crab in all of women's pro wrestling, and was also considered an expert practitioner of the Rocker. She was trained by Mildred Burke and Johnnie Mae Young, and was a positive role model for many young Hispanic girls during her career. She passed away on July 21st. THE FABULOUS MOOLAHLillian Ellison's death shouldn't have come as a surprise; after all, she was 84 and in failing health. And yet, it was a stunning shock nonetheless. Something about Moolah... her swagger, her self-assurance... seemed to suggest that maybe, just maybe, she would live forever. Or at least a lot longer than the rest of us. But death claimed Lillian the 2nd of November, and a chapter in Women's Professional Wrestling closed for good. COUNTESS VICTORIA de BEAULAISSometimes it takes death to rescue a figure from obscurity. Ruth Gohman, working as the Countess Victoria de Beaulais, wrestled only briefly in Southern California during the 1950s, and her name was all-but-lost to the history books. But with her passing on November 17th, history was reminded of her small role in the pivotal Golden Age of Women's Wrestling. On behalf of fans worldwide, LadySports Online pays tribute to all of these great ladies, and offers our deepest condolences to their families and friends. Rest in peace, ladies. |
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